


Greatest Mistake

by Swlfangirl



Series: Happy Birth Month Cheesy Tropes Challenge! [20]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sweet Dean, Witch Castiel, a little angsty, got away from me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 16:34:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1825105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swlfangirl/pseuds/Swlfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a few months later when Dean came to him asking for help, he'd never asked anything of Castiel so of course he was more than willing to oblige. Things didn't quite work out like he had expected, but he wasn't going to complain with the results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Greatest Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> You can thank DestielHardcoreLove for the amazing idea and all the spell ingredients, couldn't have done this one without her

Castiel James was starting his third semester at Kansas State and he felt his blood run cold when he walked into his dorm room. It was bare, not even a poster left… Maybe Dean had changed his mind, decided that he was too weird, just like everyone else had. He couldn’t blame them really, not very many people were comfortable cohabitating with a witch.

He huffed a sigh of disappointment and slowly started unpacking his things, he could already tell that this year wasn’t going to be his favorite. He grunted as he lifted the large box of books and heaved them onto the bed for easier access. It wasn’t until he heard a very familiar voice, that his sour mood improved. 

“Hey Cas, what are you doin man?”

“Hello Dean, I’m unpacking...of course.” He said with a slight hint of bitterness, how could he be so nonchalant about everything, Castiel thought they were friends…

“Didn’t you get my email?” Dean asked with a very confused look on his face. 

“Uh.. No? I’m sorry I didn’t know you’d sent one… I rarely check it.”

“Oh man… I swear your lack of tech knowledge is gonna bite you in the ass… My brother Sammy is a freshman this year so we got an apartment.” Dean smiled brightly, causing a small flutter in his chest.

“That’s good Dean, I’m happy for you.” He said with a small and mostly sincere smile. He continued pulling books from the box and stacking them as neatly as he could on the shelf, holding every emotion he felt inside. 

“Why are you still unpacking?” 

"Because I like to get everything sorted, and I'm sure it won't be long before they'll send in whoever's stuck with me next." It was difficult to keep himself in check, his body was humming with so many emotions.

"Oh, I guess I'll leave you to it then..." Dean trailed off. He honestly had no idea why Cas would want to stay in the stuffy dorm, with the strange odor that lived under his old bed.

"Okay, enjoy your semester Dean." He said coldly, he hadn't meant for it to come out that way but his fragile restraint could only take so much. Why did Dean look disappointed he wondered....it wasn't like he was the one being left behind. 

"Cas, are you mad at me or something? Cause if I screwed up here, you gotta tell me man. I can be pretty thick sometimes." Dean rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, a habit Castiel picked up on fairly early.

“No Dean, it’s not your fault… I should have checked my email sooner and then I could have made other arrangements myself, I really do wish you and your brother well.”

“Wait… Cas don’t you get it? I wanted you to come with me… we’ve got three bedrooms.”

Castiel dropped the book he was holding and turned around with more hope in his eyes than was necessary for any one human to hold there. 

“Wh...what? Youuu...waant me to l..live with you?” He stuttered the words out as if they were more than just a little difficult to believe.

“Of course man! Why wouldn’t I?” Dean jerked his head back completely taken aback by the fact that Cas hadn’t just known how much he meant to him.

“I.. I don’t know.. but I’d very much like to accept your offer Dean.” Castiel now finding it less difficult to say things, his smile couldn’t have been brighter.

They moved into their thankfully shared apartment that day, the dark haired witch had never been so happy about anything. Not only did Dean consider them friends, but he also thought they were close enough that he would share a living space with him by choice and not just because it was assigned like before. 

It also meant that Castiel could practice his craft openly for the most part. He still kept all his supplies in the bedroom that was designated his, but both his roommates knew he was a witch and if he’d thought Dean was excited about the revelation, it was nothing compared to the younger Winchester. Sam was an enthusiastic inquisitor, and he was just as enthralled with each new response.

\-----------------------------------------------------

It was a few months later when Dean came to him asking for help, he’d never asked anything of Castiel so of course he was more than willing to oblige. Things didn’t quite work out like he had expected, but he wasn’t going to complain with the results.

 

“Hey Cas, got a minute?” Dean asked shyly as he stood in the doorway of his friend’s bedroom.

“Of course, I always have time for you Dean.” Castiel smiled and it made Dean’s heart leap in his chest. 

“I kinda hate to ask you this, but do you think you can figure out a way to help me study… or at least something that can help me remember what I’m reading. I’ve got this huge fucking test later this week and no matter how many times I’ve gone over the material...nothing is sticking. I … well I was hoping you could you know.. uh .. brew up something for me?” Dean asked, he swallowed hard hoping to push down his anxiety and fears that were choking him at the moment. He’d thought of a million things he could have asked Cas for since he learned his secret, but he didn’t want to take advantage of their friendship so he’d always decided it wasn’t important enough. However, he was nearly ready to fail this class and he knew for a fact that his roommate had done the same thing for himself not too long ago.

“I’d be happy to Dean, just gimme a few minutes?”

“Yes… Thank you so much Cas, and of course take your time… I’ll get a started on dinner… you want burgers?” Dean asked with a mischievous smile.

Castiel just shook his head and laughed. “There’s no need to bribe me, but yes I’d love one if you’re making them.” 

Dean stepped through the door excitedly and closed it behind him. Castiel’s smile grew even wider, he’d been waiting for this day for quite some time. He’d always wanted to do something for Dean, to repay him for his friendship and the constant niceties that he provided for Cas. Cooking meals was only one of the more recent things he’d taken on, but he’d began the kind and thoughtful traditions not long after they first met. 

Castiel hummed as he began to work, adding each necessary item into his porcelain mortar. First it was the Sweet Pea, then the Meadow Sweet, firm white bulbs looked nice against the bright pink background already there. He added the purple buds of Lavender, then the Dandelion, and the bright Sunflower. Lastly, he placed the final three ingredients. Clover, Cinnamon, and Gardenia which he’d already had stored. He picked up the wooden handle of his pestle and began grinding the porcelain end against the bowl of the deliciously scented flowers.

It wasn’t long after that he’d finished and added the mix to a small glass bottle, and pushed a cork in the top. He could have just as easily put it in a glass mason jar, which would have been far more comfortable for his friend… but he liked to add a little mind magic, and mystery to his craft. He smiled to himself and shook his head feeling a bit overwhelmed by the flowery aroma in his room, maybe he should open his door.

He did just that, grabbing the new concoction up before heading to the kitchen. Dean was swaying to music when he got there, he couldn’t help the smile that climbed further up his face when he took in the sight. The beautifully sweet and handsome man leaving him speechless. He bit back the urge to reach out to his friend, the one he almost always seemed to be fighting.

“Hey Cas, burgers are almost done. Grab a couple plates and I’ll be there in a second.” he said with a fond smile on his face.

“Two or Three?” he asked… knowing sometimes Sam stayed late on Thursday’s for a study session with his classmates. 

“It’s just us tonight…” 

Castiel nodded in reply and lifted two plates from the cabinet and put them down on the sturdy wooden table. He walked to the fridge and pulled a couple cold bottles out, a beer for his friend and a Green Tea for himself. When he made it back to the table Dean was adding the delicious looking meat patties to the condiment surrounded circle. 

Pretty soon they’d both stacked theirs exactly the same way they always did, and they shared in their first bite together. Dean’s moan much quieter than Castiel’s, but both of them were showing their appreciation for such a tasty mouthful. 

They ate mostly in silence, occasionally asking about school or work. Castiel said he’d finished the spell, and that all Dean had to do was open the bottle and sniff it before studying. He relayed that it would open his mind and under no circumstances was he to drink it. He was certain the mixture wouldn’t kill his friend or anything, but it would not taste good despite the sweet smell.

Dean smiled again and thanked him as they continued their small conversation between bites, and luscious groans. Castiel demanded he do the clean up after his friend had done all the cooking. Dean thanked him and decided he’d go ahead and start studying, it wasn’t as if he had plenty of time to spare.

Dean groaned when finally inside the safety of his room, he wasn’t sure what this thing he had with Cas was, it felt like so much different than anything he’d ever experienced. He hated the idea that he was keeping secrets from his best friend, but he honestly did not know what to do. He wasn’t certain enough of anything to risk losing one of the very few people he cared about, that cared for him. 

Dean shook his head trying to remove all thoughts of Castiel, which was fairly hard to do on any given day but certainly while sniffing the intoxicating, sweet aroma from the container his roommate had given him. He put the lid back on it and opened his book, flipped through his notes, and tried to focus on the text as he read. 

It was two hours later when Dean realized that while he’d retained most of the information he’d taken in from his book, he’d also been distracted enough by Cas to have picked up on things he hadn’t even realized he’d known. He actually started making a list half an hour into his study session. 

 

Favorites:

Food - Burgers, duh!

Book - Pride and Prejudice, catch him thumbing through it at least once every few months.

Movie - Anything that isn’t a book-to-movie adaptation. He really hates those, says that no one can keep the integrity of a good novel anymore. 

Car - My baby (who could blame him), he refuses to ride in anything else, especially Sam’s Honda.

Color - Green, he has it all over his room, of course it matches all the plants… maybe that’s why he likes it?

Other Stuff

He smells like coconut when he steps out of the shower, I have to avoid those kind of situations in the future.

He stares a lot, I don’t really mind.

His eyes are so many different shades of blue I’ve lost count, I kinda like them all… no favorites for me.

He sometimes doesn’t pay attention to what he puts on, and once I accidentally left my AC/DC shirt in his laundry, and when he wore it my heart kinda stopped for a second. I’ve now “accidentally” slipped half a dozen shirts in, each time causes the same reaction. 

He chews on his lip when he’s nervous, or when he’s thinking, or when he gets caught staring. It’s kind of adorable.

His hair looks even better when he gets up in the morning, before he tries to “tame the beast” as he calls it. I like looking at it… I think it’s probably softer then too. 

\------------------------------------------------

Castiel was sitting on the couch reading an old favorite, when he yawned and decided it was finally time for bed. They’d had a late dinner eating at nearly eight in the evening and with his schedule he started very early in the mornings, so he usually went to bed sometime before eleven o’clock. He stretched his arms in the air over his head and stood up, before he made his way down the hall.

He started cleaning up his work area, and put his things away. One of the many things that he hated was having his crafting area messy. He didn’t mind the occasional stray article of clothing or piece of trash on the floor, but he did not let those habits enter the magical aspect of his life. He learned early on how potentially annoying and dangerous it could be when he left a random mixture out.

He reached down and picked up the containers he’d gotten out to add his last three ingredients and glanced over the labels so he could put them back in his case properly alphabetized. When he read the third tube his hand began to shake… his mind running a mile a minute… “Jasmine” printed in a clear font spread over the lid. 

“Jasmine….Jasmine…”

He ran down the hall as fast as he could to get to Dean’s room, he didn’t want to burst through the door and scare his roommate… but he didn’t exactly know what to do about his little mishap.

He knocked nervously.

“Yeah, come on in.” Dean yelled out.

Castiel opened the door slowly, and slid inside… unsure of what he should say. 

Dean flipped his notebook shut quickly and after a few seconds, he did the same with his textbook. 

“Need somethin Cas?”

“So you’ve been studying?” He asked warily, the big blue eyes opened necessarily wide. 

“Yeah man, I told you I was gonna… That stuff you gave me really seems to work, I just gotta figure out how to keep myself focused.” he said with a small laugh. Rubbing the back of his neck again with a pink tinge added to his ears.

“So, you’ve used it then… and it worked?” his voice sounding more surprised than questioning.

“Yeah man, thanks again… I dunno what I’d have done without it.”

“Oh..kay.. Well.. I’ll let you get some sleep. Goodnight Dean.” Castiel smiled before he ran back down the hall to his own room and pulled out his book. He researched Jasmine, not that he didn’t already know most of what he’d read.. but he was looking in particular for what would happen when it interacted with the other ingredients. 

Much to his relief he found there weren’t any damaging effects. He still wasn’t quite sure what would happen though, so he felt it necessary to keep an eye on Dean for the next few days. If he noticed anything strange, he could easily switch the mixture out for the proper one. It seemed his roommate thought it was working… so perhaps it was best to just leave the mistake unmentioned.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Castiel did the best he could to to pay attention to Dean’s behavior and watch his actions closely, and for the most part he hadn’t really seen any changes. He felt a tug in his chest that kind of suggested he gravitate toward his best friend, but that had been happening for years so it was hard to notice a difference.

It was late the second evening before he’d seen anything out of the ordinary and it wasn’t much really.. just Dean being closer than normal. Moving into his personal space, a casual touch on his elbow, a brushing of their hands, which may or may not have caused his body to shudder with an electric surge of excitement.

It wasn’t until Dean asked him to retrieve something from his room that he thought maybe it had gone very very wrong. When he reached for the ringed notebook a page fell out. His eyes went wide, as they read over the words scratched onto the thin wrinkled paper. He couldn’t help the tear that formed at the edge of his lid and threatened to spill over. He’d somehow managed to force Dean to feel things for him … oh how had he not fixed this sooner?

As calmly as he could he placed the fallen sheet back into the notebook and tried to take deep breaths on his way back to the living room. When he laid eyes on the gorgeous man he so deeply wished truly cared for him that way he lost it… the tears flowed so fast he couldn’t have stopped them. He swiped at his cheeks before he spoke, trying to keep his voice even… despite everything breaking inside him. Of course Dean hadn’t done any of those things on purpose, he should have seen it so much sooner, his stupid hopeful and naive mind just wanted to believe it.

“Dean, I’m so sorry ”

Dean looked up to see his best friend with wet streaks down his cheeks. Castiel wasn’t the most emotional person in the world, so of course he was immediately concerned.

“Cas, buddy what’s wrong?” Dean rushed to embrace him but Castiel backed away, which only furthered his confusion. 

“Dean.. I have to tell you something… could you please sit down.” he croaked out hoarsely.

“Not sure I really want to Cas. Judgin’ by the look on your face you’re getting ready to skip out on me, and it will take me longer to catch you if I’m sitting down.” he chuckled hoping to lighten the mood.

“I.. I may have made a mistake… with your um.. with your study helper… I um… I used Jasmine instead of Gardenia. I, of course did this unintentionally but it seems to have had some side effects. I should have realized this much sooner. I apologize and I think it would be best if you didn’t use it anymore. Any lingering effects will wear off in the next few weeks and you won’t need to worry about it any longer.” Castiel didn’t really want to tell Dean he’d read his private thoughts even if they were magically induced, the last thing he meant to do was invade his privacy even further. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, but I don’t understand why this is such a big deal… I mean I’m not gonna like turn into a frog or anything right?” Dean said with a cocky smile that nearly broke what was left of the witch’s resolve to keep himself from embarrassing himself even more.

“No, nothing like that.” He tried to give his friend a comforting smile but it was too difficult. He was still pretty upset that he’d fooled himself into thinking Dean would want him in the first place.

“So what’s the side effects then? Anything I need to watch out for?” Dean asked stepping closer, making it even harder for Castiel to breathe. 

Cas politely moved further away, picking up his favorite novel as a guise for him distancing himself. He really did need to get a better handle on his emotions, he was practically a shriveling mess at the moment.

“No, um.. nothing major just might wanna stay away from dark greens…” Castiel chuckled doing his best to laugh the situation off.

“No Danger there!” Dean added, he was still confused but figured maybe something different had been bothering his friend.

“Oh I forgot to mention, I’m gonna stay with Gabe for awhile. Since Kali left him, he's been a bit of a wreck.. but I’ll be back in a couple weeks or so.” He turned away, and walked off to his room. He knew if he didn’t get out of there, nothing would keep him from begging and pleading with Dean to love him. With his mind already being toyed with he just couldn’t let himself do that...not to Dean.

“O..kay…” Dean added to the empty space where his friend had been standing just a few second earlier. 

The three weeks he stayed with Gabriel were the longest of his life. He kept the contact with Dean at a minimum and hoped that their friendship wouldn’t forever be changed once Dean’s head was clear and he explained everything. 

“I’m coming home today, is there anything I can pick up on the way?” Castiel asked when Sam answered the phone.

“Nah man, just get your butt over here!’ The younger Winchester laughed and Castiel almost felt joy again, for a brief moment he let himself laugh too. 

“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes Sam, I’ll see you then.” 

“See ya later, Cas.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Castiel returned he was immediately pulled in and hugged tightly by Dean. It worried him at first.. but he supposed the separation could explain the kind embrace. He moved further in the door when his friend finally let go, and then he received the same treatment from the taller brother.

“We missed ya man. How’s Gabe?” Sam asked. 

“He’s uh.. he’s fine. I don’t mean to be rude Sam, but may I speak with Dean alone for a few minutes?”

Sam didn’t look surprised or even curious just nodded and smiled before retreating to his room. 

“What’s up Cas?”

“You .. you stopped using the study spell I made for you right?” He was just making sure, he told himself.. the last thing he wanted was to make this even more awkward. 

“Yeah man, I told you I would… I only used it once anyway, worked really good though. I passed that crazy freaking test I had to take.” Dean added a smile on the end that could have melted butter.

“Well I have a confession… I didn’t want to tell you this at the time, but I think it made you .. um.. feel things you wouldn’t have felt normally and I apologize for the mistake. I would have told you sooner but, it was best that I be sure your head was clear and no longer suffering from the effects.”

“What do you mean it made me feel things?” Dean asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“First, I just wanna say that I honestly had no intentions to invade your privacy.. When I picked up your notebook, something fell out and I didn’t mean to read it but I never thought it would be so… personal. Anyway, I found a list made of things… umm about me… It wasn’t until then, that I realized what had happened. I am truly very sorry. I know that I can’t make up for it, but I left and hoped that would help the spell wear off.”

Dean’s head was reeling with all the new information… Castiel found his list.. which was a bit awkward and embarrassing, but it wasn’t the end of the world...right?

“So wait a minute, let me get this straight. You see my list, and you think you’ve put some sort of magical love spell on me, and then you what… you run off and wait for it to go away?” Dean looked a little disappointed but mostly angry...very...very ...angry.

“I’m sorry Dean, I never meant for this to happen.. I… I’ll go collect my things..”Castiel stepped away but was stopped when Dean’s hand wrapped around his arm.

“I never thought you’d be that kind of guy Cas… I ..wow.. I don’t even know what to say right now. I mean.. if my being in love with you is so horrible that you can’t stand to be in the same apartment with me, I’m sorry I guess you should probably go… I don’t think that particular “side effect” is going to wear off.” Dean turned away. He tried to hide his frustration along with the tears that were inevitable. 

“I.. wait what? Dean.. that spell has worn off.. there’s no way it could still be active if you stopped smelling it…”

“Dammit Cas, how many times I gotta tell you… the spell isn’t what made me love you. I love you because of your stupid blue eyes, and your spiky sex hair, and the fact that you tilt your head like a freaking kitten when you’re confused, and so many other fucking reasons!” Dean stopped, now somewhat embarrassed at his brash confession. 

He didn’t have long to feel that way, almost immediately he had his arms full of roommate, best friend, boyfriend? he didn’t fucking care… it felt amazing when Castiel’s lips finally pressed against his and he kissed back with just as much passion and heat as he was given. When they broke away Dean saw a stray tear running down Cas’ reddened cheek. 

“I thought you could never love me, I thought there had to be magic at work for you to love me… I couldn’t believe that you shared my feelings without some unforeseen consequence forcing you to.” Castiel spoke softly, just loud enough for Dean to hear him. 

“Well yeah, but for a genius you can be a real idiot sometimes.” Dean laughed and pulled Cas in for another kiss, savoring it as much as he could this time and just trying to convey what he felt. He really did love this guy, and honestly… there was a little magic in it, but nothing he couldn’t enjoy. 

They spent the night wrapped up together in bed, just talking… Dean showed him the list and Castiel gasped when he noticed quite a few new additions were put there in his absence. He worried, he laughed, he cried, and he was nearly broken completely, but all in all it was the best mistake he’d ever made.


End file.
